Reality television, in one form or another, has been a part of television lineups for many years. In recent years, however, the popularity of such programming has given rise to several sub-genres of reality television. Most notably are those in which television viewers can vote to determine the outcome of a show. These new-generation game shows provide an interactive experience for the audience that was previously unknown. The voting systems typically used for these shows are not without fault.
Many of the voting systems used for these shows are configured to accept votes via a telephone call and/or a Short Messaging Service (SMS) message. In the case of a telephone call, a user dials a telephone number that is assigned to a specific contestant. Likewise, for an SMS message, a user enters a predetermined character string and sends it to a specified number. In either case, the probability of voter error is quite high due in part to the small keypads on many mobile devices.
The demographic of SMS voters is typically younger than that of telephone call voters. This may be due in part to the popularity of SMS messaging among younger generations. If, however, voters were provided a more accessible, fun and easy to use messaging system, then voters may be encouraged to begin using SMS messaging instead of traditional telephony to place their votes. Even with increased SMS voting, voter error can be drastically decreased by providing an easier, more intuitive messaging system.
Thus, it is desirable for the wireless service provider to offer an easily accessible and fun to use messaging system in order to keep veteran voters to continue using the system and also to attract new voters.
Today's consumers are increasingly busy and typically desire the most quick and efficient methods for procuring groceries, take-out food orders, sporting event tickets, movie tickets, concert tickets, and other consumer goods and services. These consumers are likely to embrace technology that increases their efficiency when time is a concern.
Thus, it is also desirable to offer a dynamic interface for a user to select and/or purchase a plurality of goods and services from a number of different establishment types via their communications device.
Children and some disabled individuals may have difficulty using a contact list to find and place a call to a contact or to send a SMS message, MMS message, or other message. Thus, it is also desirable to offer a dynamic interface that provides an easy-to-use interface that is suitable for children and those individuals with special needs.